Sunday, April 14, 2013

First Western Meadowlark of the year, Qu'Appelle Valley

Western Meadowlarks are back in Saskatchewan. We saw one yesterday along Rte 99, east of Craven in the Qu'Appelle Valley, and then heard another singing several kilometres on. (Still snow in the fields, so roadsides might be the best place to see many spring birds.)

These native birds, while not true larks (as opposed to the Horned Larks, for those who are into such things), are amazing songbirds, and their trills and melodies were among the first I learned when I started watching for Saskatchewan birds.

I love the sound so much that I once taped a Western Meadowlark singing, over the wind in Grasslands National Park. (With my little Flip camera. And did I mention the wind?)

The song of the Western Meadowlark means summer on the prairies to me, and the sight of their bright yellow V-marked throats makes me happy.

I'm also impressed by their camouflage markings... When I got home and downloaded my pictures, I had to search to figure out which one had the tiny Meadowlark, hidden in dead grasses!

About Me

Prairie creatures and scenes

Welcome to Prairie Nature, a collection of photographs of prairie birds, animals/wildlife, insects and scenery, primarily from Saskatchewan, Canada.

I hope you'll enjoy these, and — if you're here trying looking for a specific bird — I hope the images and links will help you identify it.

Many of these photos were taken in and around the Regina, SK, area. Other pictures were taken in the prairie grasslands in the southwest of the province, near the Montana border. (If you're interested in using any of these images in any way, please contact me.)

Banner photo

The image of the elk on the hillside in this blog banner was taken in the Qu'Appelle Valley, somewhere east of Buffalo Pound Provincial Park and west of the city of Regina, in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada.